History Made As Kenya’s Kipchoge Runs 42km Marathon Under 2 Hours

Kenya’sEliudKipchoge, the marathon world record holder, celebrates after crossing the finish line during his attempt to run a marathon in under two hours in Vienna, Austria, October 12, 2019. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger

Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge made athletics history on Saturday when he became the first person to run a marathon in under two hours.

The Olympic marathon champion and world record holder completed a course around Vienna’s Prater Park in one hour 59:40 minutes.

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Guided by rotating seven-man teams of pacesetters, many of themselves renowned athletes, and an electric pacecar which shone green lasers onto the track, Kipchoge averaged around 2.50 minutes per kilometre.

He reached the halfway mark in 59.35 seconds, 11 seconds inside the target, and ran remarkably consistently with his one-kilometre times fluctuating between 2.48 and 2.52 seconds.

For the last kilometre, the pacemakers and car peeled away and Kipchoge pointed to the crowd and smiled as he completed the run.

The IAAF has said it would not recognise the run as an official record because it was not in open competition and it used in and out pacemakers although its president Sebastian Coe had welcomed the record attempt.

The run, organised and funded by the British chemical company INEOS and dubbed the INEOS 1.59 challenge, was Kipchoge’s second attempt to break the barrier, having missed out by 26 seconds in Monza.